Former Obama aide is elected mayor

The former White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, has been elected mayor of Chicago, the third-largest city in the US.

Mr Emanuel, 51, trounced his five rivals with 55 percent of the vote – a margin that allowed him to avoid a run-off in April. It was the city's first mayoral race in more than 60 years without an incumbent on the ballot and the first in more than two decades without Richard M Daley among the candidates. Mr Daley and his father have led Chicago for more than 43 out of the last 56 years.

Mr Emanuel called the victory "humbling" and thanked Mr Daley for his lifetime of service, saying the outgoing mayor had "earned a special place in our hearts and our history." But he added: "We have not won anything until a kid can go to school thinking of their studies and not their safety. Until the parent of that child is thinking about their work and not where they are going to find work, we have not won anything."

President Barack Obama congratulated the mayor-elect, saying: "As a Chicagoan and a friend, I couldn't be prouder. Rahm will be a terrific mayor for all the people of Chicago."

The other main candidates – former Chicago schools president Gery Chico, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun and City Clerk Miguel del Valle – had hoped to force a run-off that would have extended the campaign for six more weeks. But they were no match for Mr Emanuel's momentum and money.